The draw for the Champions League round of 16 has been completed, revealing the potential paths for Liverpool, Arsenal, and Aston Villa as they aim for the final in Munich.
Liverpool finished at the top of the first-ever Champions League league table with 21 points, suffering their only defeat against PSV Eindhoven on the last matchday when qualification was already secured. Arsenal secured third place, two points behind Liverpool, while Aston Villa finished eighth, claiming the final automatic qualification spot.
Alongside the three English clubs, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayer Leverkusen, Inter Milan, and Lille also earned direct qualification. These teams avoided the two-legged play-off round, which saw Manchester City eliminated after a 6-3 aggregate loss to defending champions Real Madrid.
Real Madrid progressed along with play-off winners Paris Saint-Germain, Benfica, Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven, Borussia Dortmund, and Club Brugge, forming a highly competitive last-16 lineup. The draw, conducted in Nyon, Switzerland, followed a new “seeding” system rather than being entirely random.
The eight automatically qualified teams were seeded and grouped into four pairs based on their league standings: Liverpool with Barcelona, Arsenal with Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid with Bayer Leverkusen, and Lille with Aston Villa. These pairs were placed on opposite sides of the bracket, ensuring
Each club had two possible opponents for the round of 16, depending on their bracket placement, mapping out their potential route to the final.
Champions League Round of 16 Draw:
Club Brugge vs Aston Villa
Borussia Dortmund vs Lille
Real Madrid vs Atletico Madrid
Bayern Munich vs Bayer Leverkusen
PSV vs Arsenal
Feyenoord vs Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain vs Liverpool
Benfica vs Barcelona
The final is scheduled for Saturday, May 31, at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena.
Leave a Reply